I made these granola bars a lot when I was home on maternity leave. It could be hard on those long, sleepless days to get a meal in, but these were easy to grab and eat with one hand while holding a dozing baby in the other.

Chose whatever fruits and nuts you like best, and these will quickly become a favorite snack.

I made my grandmother’s coconut cream pie recipe successfully for years, and then all of a sudden it stopped working for me. I had moved, so my kitchen tools and the environment were different, and that’s the only reason I could think of that my tried-and-true recipe no longer worked. Seeking a substitute, I found success with this recipe from Food & Wine.

“We’ve had Mojitos all over Florida, my husband came up with the BEST recipe. The coconut rum adds a wonderful flavor, and the powdered sugar kinda makes a frosty, minty, refreshing drink! And mint grows like a weed, anywhere! A back-door herb bed, a flower box in a sunny window…it just grows and grows!”

My friends Pamela and Dale helped me out with a computer problem I was having, so I wanted to bake them something as a thank-you. I had just finished baking this pan of brownies, when a tiny thought occurred to me: I wondered if Pamela liked coconut. A quick call verified that she didn’t. I ate this pan of brownies, and I made her a plain version with milk caramel.